Amber Tamblyn wrote she died like a spider in the shower.

Where does a soul go? Up the wall on eight legs, down the drain?

My son asked me a long time ago  not to kill spiders, so I scoop them in tissue  then carry them outside.  

There she goes across the pavement and into the grass.  Most people are  afraid of them.  Brittany Murphy was my  number one girl crush.  “Mom,” my son  said. “It’s okay.”  My father  would die if I were a lesbian.  

I have this picture of Brittany Murphy  in  underwear;  it reminds me of me as a model.  I used to look over my shoulder wearing  nothing and hug myself.  It wasn’t  about sex. She pouted that way  to hide she was sad.  It was  desperate.  

I  drank an entire bottle of wine the night  I heard she was dead.  I cried until snot ran off the end of my nose and my scars turned red. It wasn’t beautiful; it was stunning. Brittany Murphy looked like my best friend from high school.

The first thing I wrote about  her was a fantasy.  

My best friends often left me for men.

In my fantasy, we danced  in a nightclub, Brittany and me, holding hands, and it was  like the high you get from  Ecstasy.  I could have loved anyone; anyone could have loved me.  X marked  the spot on a map.  Exactly where I’d like my son to live.

This week’s Last Words feature comes from a yaoi manga by Japanese manga artist, or mangaka, Yoneda Kou. The full manga (it’s a one-shot) can be read for free online here, scanlated (scanned + translated) by the fan group DP Scanlations.

While anime and manga are well known outside of Japan—titles like Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball and more recently, Naruto and BLEACH have been and continue to be internationally successful and influential—the yaoi subgenre maintains a niche reputation. Although, to be fair, despite this cult aura, the yaoi industry is also massively lucrative and boasts just as wide—and perhaps even more obsessive—a following.

Yaoi (or its more contemporary moniker, Boys’ Love, or BL) is the most commonly used general term for female-targeted manga featuring what Wikipedia aptly calls “idealized homosexual relationships.” Yaoi manga consists of both original work with major presses, as well as self-published amateur works (doujinshi), which are often based on characters from major mainstream anime and manga series, very similar to fanfiction. The latter are often just as popular as the former; the Naruto doujinshi world is pretty vast, for example. Many well-known mangaka with their own series began their careers drawing fan doujinshi; Yoneda Kou, for example, was first known for her (terrific) yaoi doujinshi on the children’s action series Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.

(There is also a subcategory called shounen ai, which can overlap with yaoi, and typically features homoerotic relationships without necessarily moving into explicit sexual, or sometimes even romantic, territory. For many fans, the marker of a shounen ai manga is if it does not contain a sex scene.)

Yaoi is also to be differentiated from bara, which, with its considerably different artistic style and even more graphic sexual content (although yaoi can also be very graphic), is typically considered to be gay manga for and by gay men—though any visit to a manga forum will show that bara attracts just as many enthusiastic fangirls.

Even mainstream anime or manga series will often feature a subtle, sometimes cheeky, nod to the possibility of homoerotic relationships between its characters, as a kind of “fan service,” knowing that many in the audience are carefully watching out for yaoi subtext.
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We recently received the sad news that Cami Park passed away. While we did not know her, we are fans of her work and this community will feel her loss for some time to come. Two stories of Cami’s, The Windowers and Telling Maybelline Jones, appeared in the September 2009 issue. The full archive of her work, which when considered in its entirety, is overwhelming, can be found here. Other than the two stories we published, my favorite Cami Park story is Slut Whore which appeared in Hobart, also in September 2009.

Bill Yarrow brings it to Everyday Genius.

Look whose book got a shout out in O! Oprah’s magazine! Paula Bomer! YES!

Congratulations to Sarah Rose Etter whose chapbook, Tongue Party, won Caketrain’s 2010 Chapbook Competition, judged by Deb Olin Unferth. Sarah’s story, by the same name, appears in the November issue.

Prime Number 3 includes a poem from Dennis Mahagin.

Barry Graham’s Nothing or Next to Nothing is available for pre-order.

Fiction from Deb Olin Unferth is included in the VIce 2010 Fiction issue.

xTx’s He is Talking to the Fat Lady is now available in electronic and audio formats. Don’t call it a come back. It’s a resurrection. She’s also interviewed by Riley Michael Parker.

The Miami New Times features P. Scott Cunningham.

Joseph Michael Owens reviews Deus Ex Machina.

No news today is delivered by Clark Knowles.

Gary Gerke and Peter Schwartz and Barry Graham have work in Fix It Broken.

Thunderclap Press is publishing Adam Moorad’s chapbook I Went to the Desert. You can order it here.

The Daily Beast features Robert Swartwood talking about hint fiction. He also has a story, Tramp Stamp, in Dark Sky Magazine.

Joseph Goosey’s name is mud.

Steve Himmer has made a page for his forthcoming novel, Bee Loud Glade. Check it out.

The tables are turned when Burrow Press interviews J. Bradley.

There’s a special flash fiction issue of Guernica which includes stories from Kathy Fish and Blake Butler.

Amelia, by Aubrey Hirsch is featured in Smokelong Weekly.

Issue 17 of The Collagist includes fiction from Brian Kubarycz, a poem from Bruce Cohen, nonfiction from Rachel Yoder, and a book review from Nick Kocz, among other literary delights.

Seems like new journals are popping up everywhere. Country Music debuts with poetry from Clay Matthews and others.

Poor Claudia 4 includes work from Ben Fama and Blake Butler.

Gulf Stream Magazine  No. 4 includes JA Tyler, Joseph Riippii, and JP Dancing Bear for a whole lot of the letter J which I, myself, am quite fond of.

The December issue of Word Riot brings writing from Steve Himmer and Nick Ripatrazone.

The December issue brings our year to a close in a remarkable fashion with writing from Rae Bryant, Alan Stewart Carl, Kristina Marie Darling, Tyler Flynn Dorholt, Sean Doyle, Noah Falck, Raina Lauren Fields, Nate Innomi, Jeffrey Carl Jefferis, Annam Manthiram, Lacey Martinez, Hannah Miet, Karen Munro, Sherry O’Keefe, Daniela Olszewska, Shannon Peil, Shanti Perez, Suzanne Rindell, Merritt Tierce and Lydia Unsworth.

There’s a really interesting mix of work in the December issue. Rae Bryant’s “Emperatriz De La Orilla Del Río Or  Empress Of The Riverbank,” is lush and romantic and the story reads like a grand myth. Bryant manages to put a lot into a short story and does so very well.

“The Nameless,” by Alan Stewart Carl is haunting and employs a sharp narrative style that immediately caught our attention.

Kristina Marie Darling makes another appearance with three poems, each of which play with form in really elegant ways.

The four proses from Tyler Flynn Dorholt are  high concept nightmares directed by four renowned movie directors.

We issued a statement, if you will, that we did not care for stories about cats. Sean Doyle took that statement as a challenge and dared to send us a cat story. We grudgingly admitted we loved the story, despite the inclusion of a cat.

Noah Falck takes us to Cincinnati with images of lipstick and tequila and the light from a television.

Two poems by Raina Lauren Fields take up first, a moment, then a place.

There’s a really visceral, almost grotesque quality to Nate Innomi’s disconcerting Drive-Thru.

Jeffrey Carl Jefferis tells us the story of Cool Steve, a man with a mission.

“A Sort of Theology,” by Joe Kapitan is a different kind of war story, but one that will stay with you for quite some time.

We lovve superheroes so it was only natural that we would love  Annam Manthiram’s pitch perfect “Superheroes,” where she tells us all we could ever want to know about masked crusaders. You will learn things.

As of late, we have read quite a few apocalyptic baby stories, so much so that we considered putting a brief moratorium on the subject. Then we came across Birth Defect and realized just when you think you have seen everything a certain kind of story can do, there’s a writer out there who will surprise and enthrall you.

Hannah Miet’s poem takes up modern love the way all writing should in a fresh yet familiar yet fresh way.

Department meetings are interesting beasts. Karen Munro lets us take a look at the agenda from one such meeting.

Sometimes a poem doesn’t end where it started as is the case with work from Sherry O’Keefe.

The three poems from Daniela Olszewska start with excellent titles and only improve from there.

Shannon Peil’s Sam focuses on the tiny increments by which we measure our days and is one of those stories about everything and nothing all at the same time.

Krsto The Little Spy is a bit different from the work we normally publish but it is a fine story, rich with detail, and one we knew we had to have.

Suzanne Rindell’s story is one about a woman, her boss, the things they (do not) share and a beautiful Italian man.

We are really digging Merritt Tierce and we think you will too after reading her work in this issue.

The issue comes to a close with Lydia Unsworth who tells a story in parts with writing that is precise and so very intriguing.

Check it out. Enjoy! Tell us what you think.

PAGE 1

Hello and welcome, new employee in the creative department! Congratulations on getting the new job. Whether you’re an art director, copywriter, designer—whatever—your time here will be quite fruitful.¹ Consider this an executive summary of the 1,235-page manual you’re currently holding in your hands.

First off, you should know that you are an important part of this agency. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If someone does tell you otherwise, just do what the rest of the team does: kill ’em with kindness!²

Yes, you will be an integral part in the creation of the end product. Maybe it’s a television spot or a radio spot. Maybe it’s a print ad.³ You could even be a part of the next huge viral marketing campaign, or something really innovative.⁴

For big jobs—that is, jobs that involve creating an overall brand/image for a client—you’ll receive a creative brief from account services. This brief will detail everything, from where the client’s brand is now to where they want their brand to be. Demographics and psychographics will also be included.⁵

You will never have any questions regarding any of the jobs created by the account executive. All questions will be answered in the creative brief.⁶

^(Cont.)

¹ Unless, of course, you mess up, in which case it will be quite Spanish-Inquisitional. LOL!

² Or do what I do: lighten the mood by making a phone-ringing sound. When everyone’s like, What’s the , put a banana to your ear as if—you guessed it—you’re answering the phone! Then, later that night, cry yourself to sleep.

³ Dismiss, if reading this in the year 2015.

⁴ Maybe something involving animal husbandry?

⁵ Also, Graphographics (which graphs the people compiling the aforementioned graphs), Gatsbygraphics (which delineates where people in various zip codes stand on the ending to The Great Gatsby), and Celerygraphics (which, of course, divides the population up based on whether they like or dislike spaghetti westerns).

⁶ Now read this sentence again, but this time in a sarcastic tone.

————–

PAGE 2

More often than not, you’ll throw around ideas with other creatives in your department. But, with that said, there will be times when you’re alone in your office, staring at a blank computer screen while trying to come up with a big idea.⁷

You should be aware that not everything you create will get produced. There will be times when the client will change his or her mind about a certain job, or when the entire strategy itself changes, subsequently altering the creative output. Fear not—this is normal.⁹ You’ll probably wonder why the person couldn’t kill the job before you put so much work into it, and the answer to that question is easy.¹⁰

If a job is produced, get ready for an exciting adventure! There’s nothing like seeing an idea in its finished state, especially when it actually does move the needle for a client. You’ll probably be just as excited at the prospect of winning an award for the ad!¹¹

Well, that does it for this brief introduction to your new life in the creative department. If you have any questions about this role, feel free to ask your immediate supervisor. Thanks, and be sure to read this book thoroughly, including the appendices, where you’ll find some very useful information.¹²

⁷ Of course, you’ll never actually be alone in your office, as each office is equipped with hidden cameras and we can see everything you do.⁸

⁸ Right now, you’re looking all around your office for hidden cameras.

⁹ Also normal: acid buildup, tiny specks of light floating around you, flashback of parents telling you to become a doctor.

¹⁰ Answer involves a French press, pack of matches and ethyl alcohol. You can probably take it from there.

¹¹ You narcissistic bastard!

¹² Including a completely typed-out resignation letter for when you’ve had enough. Just fill in your name, sign, turn it in, and you’re out!

PANK 5 is to press, peoples. We should have it in hand toward early January and to you shortly thereafter. It’s so awesome that when we hit send on those files, we jumped up and did this:

Seriously, it’s that good.

Washing bedding is stupid when you’re tired because stretching a fitted sheet over a mattress takes effort. I considered sleeping on an unmade bed, but I’m not thirteen. I waited for my sheets to dry like an adult, ate blue corn tortilla chips, and YouTubed poetry readings. I hate when I hate the way poets read their work— three octaves higher than their normal speaking voice as though they’re attune to some angelic frequency; or they read flat and slow like they have gauze in their mouths. Whenever I have my first reading, my nerves will make me sound like a queer angel after a tonsillectomy, and I will hate myself.

After the dryer buzzed, I opened it to find an entire box of fabric softener sheets nestled in every fold of my bedding, all 40 of them. And debris from the box. My trashcan is full of dryer sheets and now smells like a cloud of spring rain instead of cans of Friskies chicken gravy pâté. However I managed to throw an entire cardboard box of dryer sheets in with my load— It’s the work of a poltergeist.

I have the softest pillowcases ever.

I’m convinced I want my life to be a sitcom. Even when I desire normalcy. My boyfriend spilled Pinot Noir all over my work khakis last night, so I ran to Target at 8 a.m., flipped though clearance racks for pants while wearing his small navy ribbed Jockey pajama pants that look like leggings on my legs. I grabbed charcoal khakis that could mask future stains and dressed for work in the dressing room. The thought of saving $20 and strolling straight out to the car was exhilarating, but I’m not thirteen. I handed the cashier the ripped tag.

She held it like it was a used tissue, cocked her head and asked, “Did you have pants on when you came here?”

I don’t consider leggings pants. I said no.

#1. It’s crammed full of eerie, sexy, sweet, bizarre, and truthful short-short stories.

#2. It’s written by twenty-two of the most shamefully talented writers around today—you wouldn’t want to be the last person to be aware of the next wave of literature-makers, would you?

#3. It’s pretty, and will look so lovely on your bedside table that people will be flocking to share your pillow.

#4. It’s an enjoyable and easy way to support indie literature—if you want the book world to consist of more than airport thrillers and chick lit, put your money where your morals are.

#5. It will enable the editors to produce Issue 2, then Issue 3, then a print anthology, then a Best Of, then a monthly issue, then a weekly issue; eventually they will take over the world, and if you use your copy of Issue 1 as a passport they promise to make you the ruler of a small country.

IT IS HERE.